


Forbidden Fruit

by Destiknee



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Eren is 16, Fighting, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Marleyan Warrior Eren Yeager, Marleyan!Reiner, Reiner is 19, Restorationists, abandoned buildings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29568264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destiknee/pseuds/Destiknee
Summary: What should one do when they fall in love with the devil?Bend the knee with your back turned away from home and praise them at their feet. Like a possession it’s unstoppable. Mind, body and soul burn only in their presence.The only problem? You weren’t supposed to worship the devil.
Relationships: Reiner Braun/Eren Yeager
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53





	Forbidden Fruit

What should one do when they fall in love with the devil?

Bend the knee with your back turned away from home and praise them at their feet. Like a possession it’s unstoppable. Mind, body and soul burn only in their presence. 

The only problem? You weren’t supposed to worship the devil.

A marleyan soldier. Stronger in body than mind. An innocent wish sends him down the first steps of hell. Blood now follows in his wake. No matter how far he goes, the trail follows. Glaring and bright he can’t escape. 

Utopia. A home, a family. Reiner brought his family safety and fortune. Holding his first gun a young soldier's eyes burned bright towards the future where he was looked to with pride and love. Only for the dream to be an illusion. 

Shimmering water glimmering with stars from the sky. So surreal and beautiful. Only when you touched it, your hand came back soiled in mud and leeches. It didn’t come off, it stained the skin, left a mark. Never what you expected.

Reiner has so much yet felt so little for it. Surely he should have been happy. Why wasn’t it enough? Why did he feel betrayed somehow? A year passes and your own parents almost forget you. Lost in the world you gave them. Now they don’t want you in it. Your blood, your sweat, your tears. It’s theirs not yours.

So why is it when he felt everything, when he could feel good for once, it had to be the opposite of what he wished for? An Eldian man with oceans for eyes. Tainted history, tainted blood. Forbidden fruit. Like Adam and Eve, Reiner plucked it right from the branch and took a bite.

The worst would come of it. Punishment, shame, hatred, loss. All of it would come onto him. But he did not mind. For the sweetness of the fruit dripping from his lips was heavenly. Something dark brought light. Something hateful brought love. Was this fruit truly the cause of all evils when it opened his eyes to so much?

So he took another. And when that was finished, he plucked another fruit till not one was left on the tree. For once he did not find himself stuck in an endless maze of uncertainties. He now found a purpose and meaning. A reason to exist other than for the parents who stole from a boy who cared too much.

And so...he found peace in the taste of Eren Jaeger’s lips. A symphony, so beautiful yet not meant for others to hear. Drapes of fabric are the only barrier between ecstasy and death. Darkness prowls around them in silent threat. So he drinks what he brings forth from his fingers and tongue, they must not share a single drop.

Two hearts beat for one. Their differences matter not for they pump the same blood. 

What came from the fruit were seeds. New possibilities, new growth. Spit from the mouth and into the soil they sprout all around. No longer is the forbidden tree alone but now thousands grow. It’s a forest. Only a forest was too much. It was careless. You could no longer hide it. It stood tall for all to see.

Every fire suffocates. Every plant wilts. Every lake dries. Nothing is meant to last. 

Take one from the farmer and they are none the wiser. Take two and the farmer does not turn their head. Take it all and the hounds are at your heel. They took too much, wished for too much. The world noticed, leaving them only two options. Run and escape or cease and take their punishment.

To run is to run forever. Running means leaving everything else behind. It wasn’t just the forest that grew. Family does too. There’s more to protect, more to save. It becomes a duty one must withhold.

“Reiner?”

Those seeds never should have taken root. Now they march with torches to burn, burn, burn. Nothing will be left. 

Reiner had run faster than ever. He knew they were coming. There’s one he might save from it.

“They know. They’re going to gas the area. Eren...it’s Zeke’s spinal fluid.”

“Come with me,” Eren says, “come with me and we can be free from this place.

Eren still has hope. Hand outstretched, he awaits Reiner’s fingers to join him as they have many times. He had no doubt Reiner would follow. 

But all it takes is that moment of hesitation to see his eyes flicker in acknowledgement. Reiner is a book Eren learned to read multiple times over. Without a single utter Eren knows he won’t be coming.

“You can’t be serious…”

He’s hurt, he’s angry, he’s sad. But he must understand.

“I can’t leave my family Eren.”

“The family that never once cared for you?! I thought we...we were family.”

“They’ll be killed if they know I went rogue. Eren, that means Gabi will die too! A Marleyan and an Eldian just doesn’t work. I can’t risk it. I’ve already risked so much. And now I’m paying the price for it.”

“After everything you’d choose them over me? After all they’ve done? What about my family Reiner? Why is my mom, my dad, my friends...why are they gone?”

“Because they disobeyed. Because they fought back.”

Eren pulls away as if burned. Reiner came to warn them of fire but was the spark that ignited it in the first place.

“Are you saying it’s their fault for wanting to live peacefully outside these damned cages?! Why is it their fault when they were the ones beaten to death?!”

“That’s not what I meant Eren. You have to understand it’s pointless. Think logically, you’re going to die in 10 years. The enemy? Is just too big. Too big for either of us. There is no reason to fight. So come back with me! I can hide you away and they’ll never have known you partook in the resistance.”

“Reiner, how did you know they were going to gas the place?”

Reiner has to tell him. To try and fool him would only make it worse.

“They noticed. They know I got close. I couldn’t run. They were going to kill everyone if I didn’t tell them where the restorationists were hiding. So before they could come and take me away I...went to them.”

“You...damn traitor…”

Reiner bows his head as roots emerge and take him, dragging him down to his own guilt. There he will be buried.

“Reiner you-“

Reiner’s heart splits, they’re separating. Blood stained tears fall from the beloved.

“I had no choice.”

“Damn you. Damn you.”

In the corner of the room Eren cowers and hides behind his hands. Everything within him pours out in waves. The forest begins to wither, dry up. Leaves such a vibrant green, fruit so colorful and vibrant. It all shrivels and dies. Everything is black. Once green now a dull grey. Sweet fruit is now sour.

“I can still save you Eren! That’s why I came! I can’t let you die so quickly! Come stay with me. You’ll be safe.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Yes! You are a part of my family. That’s why I can’t lose you to this lost cause.”

“I’d be safe. But I’d never be free. I don’t want to hide my feelings for you Reiner. As long as we’re here, we can’t be a thing.”

Reiner desires to be close in his presence, but the roots hold him still.

“Then that’s fine with me as long as you get to live!”

“I would rather die, right now, than live the rest of my days slaving away for those shits who have murdered and toyed with us for so long!”

“I want to at least be able to see you. If you do this I won’t see you again. Don’t you want the same? Don’t I mean anything to you?”

“You are everything to me, Reiner. But I...I can’t do it!”

The last threads keeping them connected are snapping. One by one. He’s running out of time. The clock ticks and what’s left is pure desperation. Everything will be brought onto the table, he will force him to stay if it means saving him.

“You’re not going to get anywhere. Where are you going to hide? Who’s going to help you? They’ll kill you and everyone else here.”

“Then I’ll warn them and we’ll go. I don’t care how much or how long we have to try. The strong leave it to the weak to make a difference. And we are the only ones with the will to do that. So if the ones who are willing don’t keep fighting nothing will be left in the end. The cycle won’t end. Eldians will forever be beaten like dogs. Then it will be for nothing.”

“Stop trying to play a hero! Why can’t you see the insanity of this plan? Why can’t you just stay with me?”

“I’m sorry, Reiner. But I’ve decided.”

The finale thread snapping echoes loud in their ears despite the silence of their surroundings. It’s finally settled in. They are not on the same side.

“I won’t let you.”

Eren stands tall but inside is a storm. Not rain fall but lightning striking fiercely through the skies.

“Then try to stop me.”

Just as Eren makes the dash, like a fox to a bunny Reiner pounces. Reiner takes Eren down to the earth as they wrestle for control. Reiner may be bigger but the bunny has claws. He kicks, he scratches, he bites. More than once he loses him.

It’s pure rage and determination. If one loses they will be dragged to the den to be eaten, if the other loses they will run far away where the maws may never reach them. The scars left behind would serve as a reminder never to return. 

Reiner finally gets him into a choke hold. Eren wails. He kicks and struggles.

“No!-no!”

And it hurts. Reiner can’t take doing this to him. But he can’t accept him throwing himself away for some half assed cause. However, he gravely miscalculated. He didn’t know how far Eren would be willing to go. A spark and heat and an explosion.

A partial transformation. Half materialized bones of the human ribs blow Reiner away and he’s left breathless from the impact. Eren is frantic. Quickly he rips a loose floorboard up and grabs a hidden pistol. 

Seeing this, Reiner rises quickly to stop him. Only Eren already has the barrel pointed at him.

“A gun is useless against me. Even if you take it and use it on me I’ll heal. I’m a Titan, remember? But you...I can kill you.”

Reiner raises his hand in surrender. He expected some trouble getting Eren to cooperate but this...he never expected this.

“Can you really shoot me? Will you really shoot one of the few people who cares about you?”

Eren’s teeth are barred and he seethes. He doesn’t pull the trigger.

“You won’t kill me.”

Reiner puts his hands down.

“Stay where you are!”

Reiner takes a step forward.

“Put the gun down Eren.”

One step, two steps, three steps. Reiner’s chest is now mere inches from the gun. The air is cold. The silence leaves ringing in their ears. A decision must be made.

“You don’t want to hurt me.”

Eren is crying again. His grown hair sticks to his face from the sweat of their scuffle. He’s a mess. They both are.

“No. I don’t.”

If he acts fast enough, he can take the gun. But before then, the gun was already fired.

Reiner screams and falls to the ground. The bullet had not pierced his chest but his leg. Eren had lowered it and immobilized him instead of killing him. He was right to believe Eren wouldn’t be able to do such a thing to him. But once again he underestimated him.

Eren shoots again in the same leg, twice in total. Then the other he empties a few more. Reiner is in agony at the onslaught. He won’t be walking any time soon. He went for the bait without realizing it was a trap. Reiner flinches when the gun fires off again and again. Only Eren’s shooting the bullets into the floor, using every remaining one of them up. 

Eren tosses the empty gun aside, no longer in need of it. He slowly backs away, eyes never leaving Reiner’s. Pure terror and pain shimmers in once beautiful eyes. At that moment, Reiner makes his finale plea.

“Eren...please.”

Eren shakes his head and turns. He bursts out the door and doesn’t look back. He’ll warn them all and get them out. And he better hurry. The fire is here. 

In the abandoned building Reiner struggles. He crawls and pulls himself to a wall so he can at least sit upright. He needs to tend to the wounds. His only risk is bleeding out to death. So he rips his clothing, his pants and his shirt until it’s enough to wrap tight around his mutilated legs.

Then he waits. It’s all he can do. The fire would come and aid him. It could not hurt him. He was immune to its heat. 

So why was it when the first streams of smoke seeped through broken glass he choked? Eyes shot open and his jaw hung, he grasped for any source of air. But it would not find him.

Then it was the fire. It reached him and traveled up his spine like nothing he ever felt before. It left him writhing and desperately trying to get out. 

How did this happen? How could this happen? The flames should not hurt a Marleyan!! 

Footsteps…

Every second they became louder. Every minute more followed behind. They were coming. They were here. 

Reiner can barely make anything out. When someone enters, all he can see is the face of a beast. Fierce, tall. Their eyes are a gleaming bright white.

The sigh they emit sounds like a growl to Reiner.

“Oh Reiner. What have you done?”

Reiner gasps as he recognizes the voice, finally.

“War...chief...Zeke?”

Zeke does not answer him. 

“What’s...h-happening...to…”

“Yelena.”

“Sir!”

A masked figure just as terrifying enters to stand by the beast.

“Tell the commander we have a problem. I need him here as soon as possible.”

“Understood.”

Reiner tried to hold on longer. But the flames hit his eyes and burned everything away until only darkness remained. He could not see, he could not hear, he could not smell. All that was left was flickering golden lights the size of fireflies where people once stood.

Fitting is it not, that the one that started the fire also fell victim to it? Now everything is gone. All that’s left, are his sins.

Should he have chosen to go with Eren? Would that have changed anything?

No matter what, it was too late to be given a second chance. He made his choice. Now he must live with it.

-

“I can’t believe he kept this secret...all this time?”

“He must be dealt with immediately! He can’t be permitted to live!”

“I must agree. Whatever family he has must be interrogated and punished as it is our law.”

“Despite these facts hasn’t he made a suitable soldier and fought for us for years?”

“You would defend that devil?!”

“If he is Eldian why not make him a warrior as punishment? He must have hidden under the desire to escape that fate. And in return we’ll spare his family for continuing to be loyal to us.”

“Are you going to let this go unchecked? If we do not see this punishment through others will find they can get away with it as well!”

“No one knows Reiner is Eldian but the ones present in this room. We can simply announce Reiner died in battle. Meanwhile he will live out his sentence as a Titan to take down our enemies. Killing him would only be a waste.”

“It is quite an interesting take on the matter. People won’t talk about what they don’t know.”

“He’ll be our own secret.”

“We’d need to perform a fake funeral.”

“We can get possession of a corpse no problem.”

“Even if I can understand the profits of this idea, I can’t fathom leaving the family alive.”

“We’re not leaving them alive, they’re a means to control. They will be watched closely and should Reiner betray us, they’ll all be slaughtered.”

“Do think about the consequences of using him after slaughtering all of his...family. Would he truly be loyal in the end?”

“We can’t count on it. They must remain alive.”

“Have we all come to an agreement?”

“Yes.”

“I believe so.

“Good. Then let’s set it into motion.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have so much I wanted to do with this au. Sadly, I only tend to start fics rather than finish them so I feel this will just gather dust in the end should I try and finish it all. So! This is just to explore the idea. I originally wanted to have a whole enemies to lovers slow burn with these two. But I couldn’t get the words I wanted down. Then I wanted to write a post fic with Reiner coming to terms with who he is and reuniting with Eren at some point years later. It would have been such a fun angsty rollercoaster with them rekindling their relationship. I just wish I could get it down. 
> 
> I got excited because this will be my first Reiner/Eren fic and I just truly love these two so much. I want to do them justice. Simply wish it wasn’t so hard and exhausting.


End file.
